Monthly Archive for March, 2008Page 4 of 12

The Wisdom of the Desert Priests

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on March 24, 2008
in Stories
. 11 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

Learning to choose

Saint Antão was living in the desert, when a young man came to him:

- Father, I sold all my belongings and gave to the poor. I kept only a few things in order to survive here. I want you to teach me the way to salvation.

Saint Antão asked the young man to sell the few things he had kept and, with the money, to buy meat in town. He was to return with the meat tied to his body.

The young man obeyed. On his way back, he was attacked by dogs and falcons, who wanted a piece of the meat.

- I am back - said the young man, showing his scratched, bitten body, and his clothes in rags. Why did you tell me to do that?

- To show that what you brought from your past, is of no use in your present. When you must choose a new path, do not bring old experiences with you. Those who strike out afresh, but who attempt to retain a little of the old life, end up torn apart by their own memories.

Changing attitude

A young man went to an abbot from the Sceta monastery, wanting to follow a spiritual path.

- For one whole year, give a coin to anyone who provokes you. - said the abbot.

For twelve months the young man gave a coin away whenever someone provoked him. At the end of a year, he returned to the abbot, to find out his next task.

- Go into town and fetch me food.

As soon as the young man left, the abbot disguised himself as a beggar and - taking a shortcut he knew - went to the gates of the town. When the young man approached, he began to insult him.

- How marvelous! - said the young man to the so-called beggar. - For a whole year I had to pay everyone who provoked me, and now I can be provoked for free, without having to spend a thing!

Upon hearing this, the abbot removed his disguise.

- Whoever is capable of not minding what others say, is a man on the path to wisdom. You no longer take insults seriously, therefore you are ready for the next step.

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My Easter song

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on March 22, 2008
in Stories
. 1 Comment

By Paulo Coelho

I know, probably I should post here something more conventional, religious, etc. But the fantastic poem by T.S. Eliot is my choice to believe that there is always light at the end. I don’t know why, but sometimes I think about Magdalen singing alone, waiting for the return of her Beloved One.

According to Sonja’s blog, the story of Memory begins with the idea for Cats, back in 1977. In that year Andrew Lloyd Webber picked up a copy of T.S Eliot’s book of poems — poems
that his mother had read to him as a child.

Lloyd Webber’s usual way of working was first to create a melody and then add
lyrics. But he was curious if he could work the process the other way around. He
wanted to compose melodies for the words of these Eliot poems that he loved
and turn them into song.

T.S Eliot’s widow, Valerie, gave Trevor Nunn and Cameron Mackintosh (director
and producer for the project) some manuscripts of extra materials her husband
had written. These were poems and fragments that hadn’t been included in the
original book. The main inspiration for Cats came with the discovery of one particular poem fragment called “Grizabella the Glamour Cat”. There were only eight lines, but
that was enough inspiration for the team to create the show’s entire storyline.

Trevor Nunn then produced a lyric, based on T.S Eliot’s poem “Rhapsody on a Windy Night” and the song Memory, sung by Grizabella the Glamour Cat, came to life — just barely in time for opening night.

Midnight
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory
She is smiling alone
In the lamplight
The withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan

Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can dream of the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every street lamp seems to beat
A fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and the street lamp sputters
Soon it will be morning

Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life and
I mustn’t give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin

Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale court smell of morning
A street lamp dies
Another night is over
Another day is dawning

Touch me,
It is so easy to leave me
All alone with my memory
Of my days in the sun
If you’ll touch me,
You’ll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun

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Quote of the Day

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on March 21, 2008
in Quotes
. 12 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

Decisions are only the beginning of something.
When someone makes a decision he is, in fact,
plunging into a powerful current
that carries him to a place
he had never even dreamed of
when he made that initial decision.
(The Alchemist)

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Conversation with the Master - Sex

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on March 21, 2008
in Stories
. 11 Comments

By Paulo Coelho

(continuation of the transcription of notes of my conversations with J., from 1982 to 1990)

- Given that we must change our attitude toward sex, what is the first step?

- As I said: giving oneself up. People think that, before allowing themselves any pleasure, they must first solve all their problems, which is not the case. People can only solve their problems if they allow them to be themselves.

“However, there is a very curious thing: during the sexual act we are extremely generous, and one’s greater concern is for the partner. We think we will not be able to give the pleasure he or she deserves - and because of this, our pleasure also diminishes, or disappears completely.”

- Is that not an act of love, like you said?

- That depends. It is really an act of guilt, to believe one is beneath the expectations of another. In a situation such as this, the word “expectation” must be completely banished. If we are giving our best, there is no reason for concern.

“One must be aware that when two bodies meet, they are together entering an unknown territory. To transform this into an everyday experience is to lose the wonder of adventure.

“If, however, one allows oneself to be led on this journey, we will discover horizons we never imagined existed. ”

- Is there a key?

- The first is: you are not alone. If the other person loves you, he or she is having the same doubts, however secure you may seem.

“The second is: open the secret box of your fantasies, and do not be afraid to accept them. There are no sexual standards, and you must find your own, respecting only one restriction: never do anything without the other person’s consent.

“The third: give that which is sacred a sense of sanctity. For this one must be as innocent as a child, and learn to accept miracles as blessings. Be creative, purify your soul through rituals you invent yourself - such as creating a sacred space, making offerings, learning to laugh together, in order to break down the barriers of inhibition. Understand that what you are doing is a manifestation of God’s energy.

“The fourth: explore your opposite side. If you are a man, seek at times to think and act like a woman - and vice versa.

“The fifth: understand that the physical orgasm is not exactly the only objective of the sexual act, but a consequence, which may or may not occur. Pleasure has nothing to do with the orgasm, but with the encounter.

“The sixth: be like a river, flowing between opposite banks, such as a mountain and sand. On one side, natural tension, on the other, total relaxation.

“The seventh: identify your fears, and share them with your partner.

” And, finally, the eighth: allow yourself to have pleasure. Just as you are anxious to give, the other person wants to do exactly the same. If, when two bodies meet, both want to give and receive, any problems vanish.

“Alexander Lowen said that man’s natural behavior is open to life and to love. However, our culture has led us to believe that this is not so, that we must be closed and mistrustful. We think that by acting in this way, we will not be hurt by life’s surprises - but in fact what happens is, we are not taking advantage of our lives.”

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Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on March 21, 2008
in Q&A
. 4 Comments

Every day you receive up to 300 e-mails at your virtual address. What do people write to you?

There is complicity between my readers and I. It seems that we see the same Universe, although both my readers and I have different answers.

Question of the Week

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on March 21, 2008
in Your Opinion On
. 56 Comments

Brida
In Brida, a book of mine that will be published in various countries (from March onwards), I touch on the subject of reincarnation. Of course, theoretically, this goes against the dogmas of my religion (catholicism). But, even in the New Testament, there’s a moment in which Jesus clearly states that old souls reincarnate in new bodies: “But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”
What’s your opinion about that?

This book was released on March 3rd.
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